Favorite stories feature a time piece, counting down a deadline. The tock-ticking crocodile haunts Captain Hook in Peter Pan. An ominous hourglass drains sand before frightened Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Of course, a time bomb shows up in numerous eighties action movies.
Growing leaders learn to manage their time wisely. Tips abound…like keeping a careful schedule, prioritizing one’s opportunities, matching daily tasks with core values, and making a stop-doing list. In Mastering Life Before It’s Too Late, Robert J. Morgan offers another winsome suggestion: “Do big things in small snatches of time.”
But what should we make of our deeper ponderings and heart stirrings? When we are young, we eagerly say, “I can’t wait until . . .” The future is all out in front of us. Nothing gets here soon enough. Once we are well-seasoned, we say, “Where did the decades go? Why so fast?” Seasons seem to zoom faster each year, and suddenly, it’s Christmas all over again.
Time’s Brevity
Jesus’ little brother James poignantly quipped in James 4:14 (ESV), “. . . yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.”
James essentially warns: Don’t brag thinking you’ve nabbed time by the tail, boasting boisterous plans for travel or business profits. It’s a big mistake to think, “Ah, it’s all going to happen just like I’ve schemed.”
In reality, time is tenuous, ethereal, wispy. Some translations say vapor instead of mist. Think morning breath while walking your dog during late fall and early spring. See what’s rising off your coffee mug. Woosh, it’s quickly gone.
Is James being morbid? No, he’s saying, “Trust your Heavenly Father—when, where, and what he wants—his timing.” It’s vital that we grasp our own brevity and all-out dependence on God. It’s crucial that we trust his take on time.
The Father’s timing is always unique, often very different than our preferred schedule. When we intentionally trust him, he grows our patience, resilience, and peace.
God’s Take on Time
What can God’s take on time, even a little time, teach us? Ponder these four lessons.
- God’s take on time calms us down.
“A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found” (Ps. 37:10).
We grow anxious and frustrated over evil people and unjust situations. We fret over their supposed success. So much seems so wrong when evildoers are living large. Watch news reels; injustice abounds. The wrong side is winning; darkness is prevailing; what’s bright and good is failing.
The psalmist reminds us to rest in the LORD, wait patiently for him, and hope in him. When overwhelmed by unjust situations, take a deep breath. Your Father will settle the score. Stop fuming, fussing, and fighting. The Father plays the long game. Trust his take on time.
- God’s take on time encourages us in challenging work projects.
After God’s people came out of exile, back to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel’s leadership, they were working to rebuild the Jewish temple. Their labor grew discouraging due to meager resources and slow progress. They felt exasperated. Through the prophet Haggai, God spoke.
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land’” (Hag. 2:6).
God detailed how such shaking would bring other nations, many peoples, right to Jerusalem. At just the right season, in God’s timing, other people would bring their wealth to the cause. The temple’s restored glory would be greater than ever!
When you are fretting over resources and delays in progress, let God encourage and motivate you. Trust the Father’s perfect timing for all you need.
- God’s take on time crafts our urgency for deeper abiding.
“A little while” and “a little longer.” Across his ministry, Jesus used such lingo in order to blend urgency with peaceful confidence and draw his followers closer.
But Jesus told them, “I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me” (Jn. 7:33 NLT).
So, Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going” (Jn. 12:35 ESV).
“Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live” (Jn. 14:19 ESV).
Jesus’ urgency awakens us to his abiding presence with us in daily endeavors. Robert J. Morgan encourages us: “God has given us a certain amount of work to do and a set number of days in which to do it. If we squander the days, we’ll not finish the work.”
Christ’s urgency compels us to abide, to spend more intentional time with him. As we abide, we learn to trust his timing for greater growth and productivity.
- God’s take on time grows our patient resilience.
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Pet. 5:10 ESV).
The Father’s timing builds our resilience through tough tasks and trials. Most of us have a propensity to rush the seasons, especially the unpleasant ones. In the bitter cold we say, “Can’t wait for spring to get here!” Then in the blazing heat of summer we say, “Can’t wait for fall, frost, and snow flurries.”
In The 6 Seasons of Calling, Brian Sanders wisely cautions: “Even the most ambitious person cannot rush time and the lessons it teaches us.” Often, we stress over limited time. We try to push our plans, thinking we can convince God that our agendas and schedules are best.
Take a deep breath. Trust the Father’s take on time. After all, he is never late.
Really. He’s always right on time.
